"It characterizes him as a San Francisco liberal," said Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican political strategist.
Newsom, 41, youthful and dynamic, helped trigger the debate over same-sex marriage in 2004 when he authorized marriage licenses for homosexual couples. He presided over gay and lesbian weddings and gave the speech that became notorious when backers of Proposition 8 ran a TV ad with a video of a wild-eyed Newsom crowing that there would be gay marriages "whether you like it or not."
Speaking to reporters on the day after the election, Newsom said he was not concerned about the issue's potential effect on his career.
"It's trivial and irrelevant," the mayor said. "It was never about me. It's not about politicians. This is about people. It's about real human beings."
Larry Gerston, a professor of political science at San Jose State University, agreed that video of Newsom's "Howard Dean moment" could hurt him in a general election, but he said the mayor's same-sex marriage stand might boost him in a Democratic primary.
"It could even be a badge of honor," Gerston said.
So far, Poizner, Newsom, Garamendi and former Republican congressman Tom Campbell have formed exploratory committees to raise money for the race. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, 55, has not ruled out a run, but he must first win back his current job in March.
"All his energy is focused on running for reelection," said Villaraigosa consultant Ace Smith.
Former California Controller Steve Westly, 52, who lost a Democratic primary in the 2006 governor's race, co-chaired President-elect Barack Obama's California campaign this year and worked with Schwarzenegger on Proposition 11, to overhaul the way legislative districts are drawn. He said he'd decide whether to run again after the first of the year.
On the Republican side, while party primary voters are generally conservative, the potential candidates so far are largely moderate. Whitman, who lives in Atherton, registered as Republican only a year ago, previously listing herself as "decline to state."
Whitman, 52, has been researching state issues; she hired a Sacramento public relations team and retained Steve Schmidt, the Republican political strategist who ran Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign and managed Schwarzenegger's reelection bid in 2006. Although she has never held office, with a net worth between $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion, Whitman could finance her own campaign.
